System, computer program product and method for scanning and managing documents

ABSTRACT

A system, method and computer program product for scanning and managing documents. The system includes a scanning device, a scan server connected to the scanning device via a network, and a directory server connected to the scan server. The system allows a user of the scanning device to search the directory server for e-mail addresses, fax numbers, or other destination information stored at the directory server, and to e-mail, fax, or otherwise electronically deliver scanned documents from the scanning device. The scan server transmits the e-mail addresses, fax numbers, or other destination information to the scanning device from the directory server. The user of the scanning device can select one or more destinations (e.g., e-mail addresses or fax numbers) received from the scan server. The scanning device transmits the scanned document with the selected destination to the scan server. The scan server transmits the scanned document to the appropriate server, such as an e-mail or fax server. The document is routed, for example by the e-mail or fax server, to the selected destination.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The application is a division of and claims the benefit of priorityunder 35 U.S.C. §120 from U.S. application Ser. No. 11/404,925, filedApr. 17, 2006, which is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No.10/243,645, filed Sep. 16, 2002 and claims the benefit of priority under35 U.S.C. § 119 (e) from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No.60/374,811, filed Apr. 24, 2002, the entire contents of which are herebyincorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is directed to methods, computer-based systems andcomputer program products for scanning and managing documents or files.More particularly, the present invention allows a user of a scanningdevice to scan a document and to e-mail and/or fax the scanned documentfrom the scanning device.

2. Discussion of the Background

A system for e-mailing a scanned document from a scanning device isalready known. For example, Ricoh's ScanRouter™ Professional enables thecapture and delivery of scanned documents from a scanning device. Inthis conventional system, the scanning device stores a directory ofaddresses used to deliver the scanned document. The ScanRouterProfessional system suits the needs of small and medium companies well.

This conventional system, however, has a number of drawbacks, especiallyif considered within the environment of a relatively large company.Because the address directory is stored at the scanning device, the sizeof the address directory is limited and may not hold all of theaddresses of a large company's directory. For example, the address bookstored on Ricoh's ScanRouter Professional is limited to a maximum of 200addresses. In addition, because the address directory is stored at thescanning device, each address book needs to be updated each time thecompany's global address book needs to be updated. For example, thecompany's global address book is updated each time an employee leavesthe company, each time the company hires a new employee, and each timean employee changes position or department within the company. It isestimated that in large companies, the global address book can beupdated 1000 times each week. The task of updating each local addressbook stored at the scanning devices creates a burden on theadministrator of the system, and severely increases the traffic over thecompany's network. This increase in traffic, caused by the need to keepthe local address books stored at the scanning devices synchronized withthe company's global address book, can slow down the company's entirenetwork. As another drawback, the information contained within thecompany's directory is exposed to security breaches because the localaddress books stored in the scanning devices are more easily accessiblethan the global directory, which can be stored in a secured area.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present inventors have determined that there is a need for a systemthat allows a user to scan a document and to e-mail, fax or otherwiseelectronically deliver the scanned document from the scanning device,and that can conveniently and efficiently update the addresses, numbers,and other information available to the user. The present inventionprovides such a system. One object of the present invention is toprovide a method, a system and a computer program product that allows auser of a scanning device to scan a document and to e-mail, fax, orotherwise electronically deliver the scanned document from the scanningdevice, wherein the document is routed to an e-mail address, a faxnumber, or a destination stored in a directory. In a preferredembodiment, the system includes a global directory server connected to ascan server. The global directory server stores the e-mail addresses,fax numbers, destinations and/or other information accessed by the user.In another embodiment, the system includes the global directory serverand, in addition, a local directory that stores the e-mail addresses,fax numbers, destinations and/or other information in the scanningdevice.

The scan server passes the information stored at the global directoryserver to the scanning device. The user of the scanning device, whodesires to search the global directory for e-mail addresses, fax numberand/or destinations, can search the global directory by sending queriesto the scan server, which passes the queries to the directory server.Alternatively, the user can directly e-mail or fax a document withoutaccessing the global directory server by accessing the local directoryor by otherwise entering the addresses and/or fax numbers using thescanning device user interface.

Advantageously, the system can be used within a company so that variousemployees can access the company's global directory, or address book.The global directory need not be copied or stored at the scanningdevice. Instead, the global directory can be maintained in a secure,central location. The company's administrator can update the globaldirectory without having to update any local directory or address bookthat would be stored at the scanning devices.

The user of the scanning device may be prompted to log in the system byentering a login name and a password. This login information istransmitted to the scan server. The scan server can confirm a domainauthentication with a domain controller to ensure that the user isauthorized to use the system. The scan server can also process directoryauthentication to control access by the user of the global directory.The scan server also processes documents or files received from thescanning device. The scan server routes the documents to the appropriateserver, for example an e-mail server or a fax server, as requested bythe user of the scanning device.

Advantageously, several scanning devices can be connected via a networkto the scan server. Within a company, several scanning devices may belocated on different floors, in different rooms, or different buildings.The employees can access the global directory from any of the scanningdevices. The administrator can maintain one global directory so that theinformation available to the users throughout the company is efficientlyupdated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete appreciation of the invention and many of the attendantadvantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes betterunderstood by reference to the following detailed description whenconsidered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall system configurationaccording to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a browser for the scanning deviceaccording to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 3-6 show examples of menus displayed on a display screen of thescanning device according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 7-8 show flowcharts of a method of managing documents from thescanning device according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a scanning device according toone embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a schematic representation of a scanning device according toone embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a scan server according to oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a schematic representation of a scan server according to oneembodiment of the present invention; and

FIGS. 13-14 show flowcharts of a method of managing documents with anMFD browser according to one embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designateidentical or corresponding parts throughout the several views, FIG. 1 isa block diagram of a system 5 for scanning and managing documentsaccording to the present invention, and in particular to allow a user toscan a document and to e-mail and/or fax the scanned document from thescanning device. The system 5 includes a network 100 that interconnectsat least one, but preferably a plurality of scanning devices 10-30, to ascan server 40. The network 100 preferably uses TCP/IP (TransmissionControl Protocol/Internet Protocol) because this protocol is commonlyused, but other protocols are possible. The network 100 can be a localarea network, a wide area network, any type of network such as anintranet, an extranet, or a combination thereof. Other communicationslinks for the network 100, such as a virtual private network, or awireless link, may be used as well.

As shown in FIG. 1, the scanning devices 10-30 can be multi-functiondevices, or “MFDs.” An MFD can incorporate a scanner, a copy machine, aprinter, a fax machine, a digital camera, other office devices, andcombinations thereof. Various types of MFDs are commonly known in theart and share common features and hardware with the MFDs of the presentinvention. In one embodiment of the present invention, the MFD is aportable device, such as a digital camera, connectable to the Internetvia wireless connection. Such an MFD combines digital imaging with thepower of the Internet so that one can capture still, sounds or videosand share them wirelessly from various locations. The MFD can create webpages, send and receive e-mails with attachments, edit images, FTPfiles, surf the Internet, and send a fax. In another embodiment, the MFDis a multiple scanner, photocopier and printer, as described in moredetail below with corresponding FIGS. 9-10.

As shown in FIG. 1, the scan server 40 is connected to a directoryserver 60 (or “address book server” or “global directory”). Thedirectory server 60 can include information such as the names,addresses, e-mail addresses, phone/fax numbers, other types ofdestination information, and authorization of individuals. Otherinformation can be included in the directory server 60. Examples ofdirectory servers 60 compatible with the present invention include, butare not limited to, Lotus Notes™, Microsoft Exchange™, and LDAP(“Lightweight Directory Access Protocol”) enabled directory servers.LDAP is a software protocol that enables a user to locate organizations,individuals, files, devices in a network. The scan server 40 can also beconnected to a network domain controller 50 that controls authenticationof the MFD users.

The system 5 provides access to the users of the MFDs 10-30 of theinformation stored at the directory server 60 via the scan server 40.Accordingly, a user can scan a document at the MFD 20, and request asearch of the company's global directory stored at the directory server60. The scan server 40 can pass the search request to the directoryserver 60 and can receive the search results (e.g., e-mail addressesand/or fax numbers) from the directory server 60. The scan server 40 canpass the search results to the MFD 20, which can temporarily store anddisplay them. In a preferred embodiment, the stored search results areerased automatically from the MFD after the job of the MFD is completed,or after a time period (e.g., two minutes) that can be set by theadministrator of the system. The user can select e-mail addresses andfax numbers from the displayed search results and request that thescanned document be e-mailed and/or faxed to the selected addresses.Alternatively, the user can enter the addresses and numbers, or canselect addresses and numbers from a local directory stored in thescanning devices 10-30. The local directory can be updated automaticallyor periodically after the directory server 60 is updated.

The scan server 40 receives the scanned document and the selectedaddresses/numbers from the MFD 20 and routes the scanned document to theappropriate server. For example, if the user requests the scanneddocument to be e-mailed, the scan server 40 routes the scanned documentto an e-mail server 70. If the user requests the scanned document to befaxed, the scan server 40 routes the scanned document to a fax server80. The scan server 40 can also route the scanned document to otherapplications 90, which may, for example, convert a document from oneformat (e.g., TIFF, “Tag Image File Format”) to another (PDF, “PortableDocument Format”).

In the present embodiment, the Scan Server 40 can be configured to actas an intermediate agent between a plurality of computerized services(e.g., provided by devices 50, 60, 70, 80, and 90) so that the MFDs canperform a plurality of functions in a same scanning job. The Scan Server40 can be configured to display the plurality of services based on arequest from the browser 25. The MFD can display screens prompting theentry of a plurality of parameters such as e-mail addresses, fax numbersand billing codes, on the LCD panel based on the communication betweenthe Browser 25 and the Scan Server 40. An MFD can then transmit thescanned document to a plurality of servers, e.g., servers 70, 80, and90.

In a preferred embodiment, the MFDs 10-30 and the scan server 40exchange data using the protocol HTTP (“Hypertext Transfer Protocol”) orHTTPS (HTTP over Secure Socket Layer) over the network 100. Otherprotocols can equivalently be used with the present invention.Preferably, the MFDs 10-30 and the scan server 40 exchange data usingthe format XML (“Extensible Markup Language”). Other formats, such asHTML, can equivalently be used with the present invention. In apreferred embodiment, the e-mail server 70 is incorporated into the scanserver 40. E-mail server 70 can include, but is not limited to, LotusNotes™ e-mail server, Microsoft Exchange™ e-mail server, and SMTP(“Simple Mail Transfer Protocol”) e-mail servers. In a preferredembodiment, the fax server 80 is the Captaris' RightFax™ server.

The system 5 provides three levels of user authentication. At a firstauthentication level, no user authentication is performed. Under thisfirst level, any user can use the MFDs 10-30 to scan, copy, print,access the global directory server 60 to e-mail and fax documents.

At the second authentication level, the user is domain authenticated bythe network domain controller 50. Under this second level, the userenters login information, such as a login name and a password. Thislogin information is transmitted to the scan server 40 via the network100. The scan server 40 passes the login information to the networkdomain controller that confirms (or not) the user's domainauthentication. The confirmation is passed to the MFDs 10-30 via thescan server 40. If the user is domain authenticated, the user can usethe MFD and its functions. In one embodiment, the system 5 can beconfigured so that certain functions of the MFDs 10-30, such as copyingand direct e-mail and faxing (without access to the global directoryserver 60), be accessible to a user who is not domain authenticated.Under this embodiment, however, the system bars the non-authenticateduser from using other functions, including access to the globaldirectory server 60. Under another embodiment, the system bars thenon-authenticated user from using all functions provided by the MFDs10-30.

At the third authentication level, the user is authenticated by thedirectory server 60. Under this third level, the directory server 60 cancontrol what portions (if any) of the directory, to which the user canhave access. For example, employees of a particular division of thecompany (e.g., human resources, legal, etc. . . . ) may have access tothe portion of the directory that corresponds to that division only.More sensitive information can thus be protected and accessible only bycertain individuals within the company. This third authentication levelcan be, but need not be, in addition to the second level.

Under the second and third authentication levels, the system can createa user profile such that upon authentication, the system provides accessto the user only for certain functions that correspond to the userprofile. Under this embodiment, different authenticated users can havedifferent user profiles and thus have access to different functions. Theadministrator can control the user profiles.

In a preferred embodiment, the scan server 40 can include an MFDprofiler that sets a specific profile for a specific MFD. Theadministrator of the system 5 can create, change and maintain profilesvia a profile screen on the scan server 40. The profile can include anidentification for the MFD, such as a serial number, and variousparameters (computer network-name, machine location, etc. . . . ) usedto configure the exchange of information between the scan server 40 andthe MFDs 10-30. These parameters can relate to the authentication schemeused for each MFD, to the data format/protocols used, to the e-mailserver 70, to the fax server 80, and/or to the directory server 60. Theprofile can also include the time period during which the search resultsfrom the directory server are stored at the scanning device before beingerased.

FIG. 2 illustrates an MFD 20's browser 25 configured to exchangeinformation between the MFD 20 and the scan server 40 according to oneembodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows the softwarecomponents in the MFD-server system; the hardware elements are not shownin FIG. 2. The scan server 40 shown in FIG. 2 includes an authenticationdevice 260 configured to perform the authentication functions discussedabove. The scan server 40 also includes an administration device 265which allows the system administrator to administer the system 5. Forexample, the administrator of the system can access the profiler 280 viathe administration device 265 to set user profiles and/or MFD profilesfor the MFDs 10-30 connected to the scan server 40. The scan server 40also includes a directory gateway 270 configured to communicate with thedirectory server 60. The scan server 40 also includes a document router275 configured to route the documents received from the MFDs to theappropriate server 70, 80 or 90.

As shown in FIG. 2, the MFD 20 includes an engine control service (ECS)200 that controls for example the scanning engine of the MFD 20. Amemory control service (MCS) 205 controls access to the memory of theMFD 20. An operation panel control service (OCS) 215 generates displaysfor the LCD of the MFD 20. For example, the OCS 215 can generateconventional menus for MFD operation and the menus shown in FIGS. 3-6. Asystem control service (SCS) 225 controls and/or monitors sensors withinthe MFD 20. For example, the SCS 225 controls the touch screen sensors,paper jam sensors and scanning operation sensors. Accordingly, the SCS225 can manage the status of the MFD 20 based on the information fromthe sensors. A network control service (NCS) 220 controls communicationbetween the browser 25 and the scan server 40. Optionally, a securesocket layer (SSL) 230 provides added security for communicationsbetween the NCS 220 and the browser 25. A command input service (CIS)240 processes input information, e.g., from the LCD touch panel and akey pad of the MFD 20. A user of the MFD can enter information andcommands using the LCD touch panel and the key pad. The CIS 240 canprocess such information and commands entered by a user (e.g., forwardedto the CIS 240 by the SCS 225). The CIS 240 can generate a command(e.g., a display command) based on such processing and transmit thecommand to other components of the MFD (e.g., to the OCS 215 to displaya graphic on the LCD). The CIS 240 can also exchange information andcommands with the NCS 220 for processing with the browser 25 inconnection with the server 40.

Conventional MFDs include ECSs, MCSs, OCSs, NCSs, SCSs, and CISs whichare firmware for implementing and controlling each hardware component ofthe MFD. In the present invention, however, the NCS 220 is configured tocommunicate with the browser 25. For instance, the NCS 220 hasadditional capabilities for communicating using the HTTP protocol. TheNCS 220 is also configured to communicate with the server 40 so that theNCS 220 exchanges data between the browser 25 and the server 40. Forexample, The NCS 220 can transmit to the server 40 a request for ane-mail address and can receive from the server 40 a selected e-mailaddress, or the NCS 220 can transmit to the server 40 login informationand can receive a user authentication confirmation from the server 40(and from the directory server 60) during an authentication process.

The browser 25 includes an HTTP command processor 235 that communicateswith the network control service (NCS) 220 of the MFD 20. For example, arequest for an e-mail address entered by the user via the MFD key pad,or a request for displaying information on the LCD, such as FIGS. 3-6,can be passed from the NCS 220 to the browser 25 by the HTTP commandprocessor 235. The HTTP command processor 235 can exchange data in theHTML format with the browser's HTML parser 250, and can exchange data inthe XML format with the XML parser 255. The parsers 250 and 255 cancheck the data from the HTTP command processor 235 for syntax, processthe data for HTTP command processor 235. The present invention caninclude conventional parsers, which are usually part of a compiler.

The HTTP command processor 235 can be provided with a program code forimplementing a specific application, such as, user authenticationprocessing which can be implemented with the directory service of theserver 40. The HTTP command processor 235 can process information basedon definitions of the specific application. For example, the HTTPcommand processor 235 can process information provided by the user, suchas User Name or Password, and generate an HTTP request based on thisprocessing for the server 40. The HTTP command processor 235 cantransmit this HTTP request to the NCS 220 to be transmitted to theserver 40.

The HTTP command processor 235 can also process information receivedfrom the server 40 (via the NCS 220). For example, the HTTP commandprocessor 235 can receive an HTTP response generated by the server 40which includes parameters for operating the MFD. The parameters can bestored for example in the profiler 280 of the server 40. The parameterscan include a specific user ID as a result of the user authenticationprocessing. Furthermore, the parameters can include scanning jobparameters for the specific user ID, such as default size of papers,scanning resolution setting, condition of the document feeder, ordepartment code for billing the scanning operation. The HTTP commandprocessor 235 can process this information and generate commands tocontrol the MFD in accordance with the information, e.g., can requestthe MFD to scan according to the scanning job parameters for thespecific user ID. As another example, the HTTP command processor 235 cangenerate a graphic drawing command for the LCD panel. The HTTP commandprocessor 235 can transmit the commands to the appropriate MFD firmware(e.g., the OCS 215) so as to be executed. For example, the OCS 215 canreceive the graphic drawing command and execute it by displaying agraphic (e.g., FIGS. 3-6) on the LCD panel.

FIGS. 13 and 14 show flowcharts of a method of managing documents withthe MFD browser 25. More specifically, FIG. 13 shows an HTTP requesthandling process flow, and FIG. 14 shows an HTTP response handlingprocess flow. Turning to FIG. 13, at step 3100 a user operates the MFDpanel, for example selects a button on the MFD's LCD touch panel. Atstep 3150, the SCS 225 detects the panel operation, e.g. a location ofthe selected button, and transmits panel operation information to theCIS 240. At step 3200, the CIS 240 interprets the panel operationinformation and generates a command. This interpretation and generatingof the command can be based on a definition described in a predeterminedprogram code. The predetermined program code can be provided forimplementing the specific application executed by the MFD 20 and theserver 40. For example, the specific application may include a userauthentication using the directory server 60, or scan-to-eMail serviceswith MFD 20 and server 40. The predetermined program code for thespecific application can be provided in an IC Card, or other medium, forthe MFD.

At step 3250, the CIS 240 transmits the command to the HTTP commandprocessor 235. At step 3300, the HTTP command processor 235 generates anHTTP requests composed in the HTML language and/or the XML languagebased on the command. At step 3350, the HTTP command processor 235transmits the HTTP request to the NCS 220. Optionally, the HTTP commandprocessor 235 transmits the HTTP request to the SSL 230, i.e., the HTTPrequest is sent using HTTPS protocol or Secure Sockets Layer over HTTP,based on the definition of the predetermined program code for thespecific application. At step 3400, the NCS 220 transmits the HTTPrequest to the scan server 40.

Turning to FIG. 14, at step 4100, the scan server 40 generates an HTTPresponse based on the processing defined by the specific application.For example, the authentication result information can be included inthe HTTP response. The scan server 40 transmits this HTTP response tothe NCS 220. In this process, the HTTP response can be sent using HTTPSprotocol depending on the definition of the predetermined program codefor the specific application. At step 4150, the NCS 220 receives theHTTP response and transmits it to the HTTP command processor 235. Atstep 4200, the HTTP command processor 235 receives the HTTP responsefrom the NCS 220 and transmits it to the HTML parser 250 and/or to theXML parser 255. At step 4300, the XML parser 255 processes the HTTPresponse for the HTTP command processor 235. At step 4400, the HTMLparser processes the HTTP response for the HTTP command processor 235.At step 4450 the HTTP command processor 235 generates a command based onthis processing, and transmits the command to one of the MFD components,e.g. the CIS 240. At step 4500, the CIS 240 generates a display requestbased on the command and transmits the display request to the OCS 215.At step 4600, the OCS 215 processes the display request. For example, atstep 4700, the LCD panel displays graphics, such as the menus shown inFIGS. 3-6.

In a preferred embodiment, the MFDs 10-30 provide interactive menusbased on information inputted by the operator of the MFD, so as to allowthe operator to conveniently take advantage of the services provided bythe system 5. Examples of menus displayed on touch sensitive LCDs of theMFDs are shown in FIGS. 3-6. FIG. 3 illustrates a screen 300 thatintroduces the present invention to the user and that provides touchsensitive buttons, for example buttons 305-325. Upon touching the button305, the MFD displays a screen (not shown) that prompts the user toenter login information. Upon touching the button 310, the MFD displaysa screen (such as screen 500 shown in FIG. 5) that permits the user tofax a document. Upon touching the button 315, the MFD displays a screen(such as screen 600 shown in FIG. 6) that permits the user to e-mail adocument. Upon touching the button 320, the MFD displays a screen (suchas screen 400 shown in FIG. 4) that prompts the user to enter settingsfor scanning a document. Upon touching the button 325, the MFD displaysa screen (not shown) that displays a job log, which keeps track ofprevious jobs performed by the MFD. The screen 300 includes a systemdisplay portion 330 that displays system messages, such as the time anddate, error messages, or instructions to the user. The screen 300includes a main display portion 335 that displays information for theuser. Screen 300 can include other display portions. The screen 300 alsoincludes buttons 340, which permit the user to scroll through thedisplay shown in the main display portion 335.

FIG. 4 illustrates a screen 400 with touch sensitive buttons used to setthe scanning parameters. The screen 400 can include a default button 405to request the MFD to scan the document using its default scanningparameters (e.g., 200 dpi). The default parameters may be displayedbelow the button 405. Upon being touched, a “Fine Scan” button 410requests the MFD to scan the document using finer scanning parameters(e.g., 300 dpi) than the default parameters. These finer scanningparameters can be displayed below the button 410. Upon being touched, a“Super Scan” button 415 requests the MFD to scan the document using evenfiner scanning parameters (e.g., 400 dpi) than the fine parameters.These even finer scanning parameters can be displayed below the button415.

The screen 400 can also include a “Create PDF” button 430 that requests,upon touching, the document to be converted to the PDF format. Thisconversion can take place at the MFD, at the scan server, or at aconversion server 90. In a preferred embodiment, the document is sentfrom the MFD to the scan server 40 in the TIFF format along with therequest to convert to the PDF format. The scan server 40 then sends thedocument to the conversion server 90 to be converted into the PDFformat.

If the user does not want the document converted to the PDF format, theuser can touch a “Keep TIFF” button 435 to request that the document bekept in the TIFF format. The user can also touch the “Scan Size” button440 to set the size of the document to be scanned. The user can alsoselect a single sided scan by touching the “Single-Sided” button 420, orselect a double sided scan by touching the “Double-Sided” button 425.Once the user has selected all the scanning parameters, the user cansave his selection by touching the “Save” button 445. Alternatively, ifthe user wants to return to the previous screen 300, the user can touchthe “Exit” button 450.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate screens 500 and 600 used to request faxing ande-mailing documents, respectively. Text (e.g., for a fax note or ane-mail message) can be entered via the LCD using a touch sensitivekeyboard (not shown) displayed on the LCD. Upon touching the “Enter FaxNote” button 510, the MFD displays a screen that permits the user toenter a fax note along with the document to be faxed. The fax note canbe displayed in portion 555 of the screen 500. Upon touching the “EnterFax Number” button 520, the MFD displays a screen that permits the userto enter the fax number to which the document is to be faxed. The usercan manually enter the fax number if the user already knows the faxnumber. If the user does not already know the fax number, the user canlook it up in the global directory, as discussed next.

Upon touching the “Lookup Fax Number” button 525, the MFD displays ascreen that prompts the user to enter the name(s) of a recipient(s), orthe name of a group of recipients (e.g., “marketing,” “management,”“security,” “legal department,” “blue division,” “softball team,” etc. .. . ). Search criteria other than names can be used. The MFD can sendthe names or other search criteria to the scan server 40, which passesthe information to the directory server 60. The directory server 60 thenreturns the fax numbers for the names entered by the user to the scanserver 40, which passes the fax numbers to the MFD for displaying on theportion 545 of the screen 500. The display portions 550 can be touchedto select (e.g. by highlighting) fax numbers listed on the portion 545.The selected fax numbers can be removed from the recipients' list bytouching the “Remove Fax Number” button 530. Upon touching the “OK”button 535, the information received via the screen 500 can be processedby the MFD to fax the document. The user can return to the previousscreen by touching the “Cancel” button 540. Upon touching the “BillingCode” button 515, the MFD displays a bill management screen (not shown)to receive billing information. For example, the bill management screenwould prompt the user to enter department code representing thedepartment to which the user belongs. With this feature, the MFD caneither locally process the billing information and/or transmit thebilling information to the server 40 for centralized processing.

Turning to the screen 600 illustrated in FIG. 6, upon touching the“Enter Subject” button 605, the MFD displays a screen that permits theuser to enter a subject for the document to be e-mailed. This subjectcan be displayed in portion 655 of the screen 600. Upon touching the“Enter E-mail Message” button 610, the MFD displays a screen thatpermits the user to enter an e-mail message along with the document tobe e-mailed. Upon touching the “Document Name” button 615, the MFDdisplays a screen that permits the user to enter the name of thedocument to be e-mailed. Upon touching the “Enter E-mail Address” button620, the MFD displays a screen that permits the user to enter the e-mailaddress to which the document is to be e-mailed. The user can manuallyenter the e-mail address if the user already knows the e-mail address.If the user does not already know the e-mail address, the user can lookit up in the global directory, as discussed next.

Upon touching the “Lookup E-mail Address” button 625, the MFD displays ascreen that prompts the user to enter the name(s) of a recipient(s), orthe name of a group of recipients (e.g., “marketing,” “management,”“security,” “legal department,” “blue division,” “softball team,” etc. .. . ). Search criteria other than names can be used. The MFD can sendthe names or other search criteria to the scan server 40, which passesthe information to the directory server 60. The directory server 60 thenreturns the e-mail addresses for the names entered by the user to thescan server 40, which passes the e-mail addresses to the MFD fordisplaying on the portion 645 of the screen 600. The display portions650 can be touched to select (e.g. by highlighting) the e-mail addresseslisted on the portion 645. The selected e-mail addresses can be removedfrom the recipients' list by touching the “Remove E-mail Address” button630. Upon touching the “OK” button 635, the information received via thescreen 600 can be processed by the MFD to e-mail the document. The usercan return to the previous screen by touching the “Cancel” button 640.

FIG. 7 illustrates a method of authenticating a user according to oneembodiment of the present invention as performed by the MFDs 10-30. Atstep 705, the MFD inquires whether a command is received from the userto display a login screen. For example, the user can press a loginbutton on the LCD of the MFD 20, such as the “Log in” button 305 ofscreen 300 shown in FIG. 3. At step 710, the MFD 20 displays the loginscreen if the command is received. At step 715, the MFD 20 inquireswhether the login information is received from the user. For example,the MFD 20 can inquire whether the user entered a user name, a password,and a domain name. Once the login information is received, the MFD 20sends the login information to the scan server 40 at step 720. The scanserver 40 then sends the login information to the network domaincontroller 50. The domain controller 50 verifies the login informationand sends a authentication confirmation to the scan server 40 thatforwards the confirmation to the MFD 20. At step 725, the MFD 20inquires whether the authentication confirmation is received from thescan server 40. Once the MFD 20 receives the user authentication, theMFD 20 downloads from the scan server 40 a user's home page for displayat step 730. For example, the user's home page can include a start page,such as the one shown in FIG. 3. The user home page can be a kind ofdefault (portal) page initially displayed after authentication. In thepresent invention, this home page can be generated based on the resultof user authentication. In a preferred embodiment, the user home pagecan be provided with a “Help” button, and/or a “About” button to provideinstruction and information for using system of the present invention.

FIG. 8 illustrates a method of accessing the global directory accordingto one embodiment of the present invention, as performed by the MFD 20.The global directory can be accessed for the purpose of performing asearch, such as a fax number search and/or an e-mail address search. Atstep 805, the MFD 20 inquires whether the user requested to search theglobal directory. For example, the user can request such a search bypressing the lookup buttons 525 and 625 shown in FIGS. 5-6. If such asearch is requested, the MFD 20 displays a screen at step 810 thatprompts the user to enter a search string, for example a string of atleast two characters. At step 815, the MFD 20 inquires whether thesearch string has been entered. Once the search string is entered, theMFD 20 sends the search string to the scan server 40 at step 820. Thescan server 40 forwards the search string to the directory server 60,which performs the search and transmits the search results to the scanserver 40. The scan server 40 transmits the search results to the MFD20. At step 825, the MFD 20 inquires whether the search results havebeen received from the scan server 40. Once the search results arereceived, the MFD displays the search results on its display at step830.

FIGS. 9-10 illustrate an example of the MFD 20, which includes a centralprocessing unit (CPU) 931, and various elements connected to the CPU 931by an internal bus 932. The CPU 931 services multiple tasks whilemonitoring the state of the MFD 20. The elements connected to the CPU931 include a read only memory (ROM) 933, a random access memory (RAM)934, a hard disk drive (HDD) 935, a floppy disk drive (FDD) 936 capableof receiving a floppy disk 907, a communication interface (I/F) 938, anda modem unit 939. In addition, a control panel 937, a scanner unit 940,a printer unit 941, and an image processing device 942 can be connectedto the CPU 931 by the bus 932. Both the I/F 938 and the modem unit 939are connected to a communication network 100.

In a preferred embodiment, the program code instructions for the MFD 20are stored on the HDD 935 via an IC card. Alternatively, the programcode instructions can be stored on the floppy 907 so that the programcode instructions may be read by the FDD 936, transferred to the RAM 934and executed by the CPU 931 to carry out the instructions. Theseinstructions can be the instructions to perform the MFD's functionsdescribed above. These instructions permit the MFD 20 to interact withthe scan server 40 via browser 25 and to control the control panel 937and the image processing units of the MFD 20.

During a start-up of the MFD 20, the program code instructions may beread by the CPU 931, transferred to the RAM and executed by the CPU 931.Alternatively, the program code instructions may be loaded to the ROM933. It is therefore understood that in the present invention any of thefloppy disk 907, the HHD 935, the RAM 934, and the ROM 933 correspond toa computer readable storage medium capable of storing program codeinstructions. Other devices and medium that can store the instructionsaccording to the present invention include for example magnetic disks,optical disks including DVDs, magneto-optical disks such as MOS, andsemiconductor memory cards such as PC cards.

In a preferred embodiment, the control panel 937 includes a displayscreen that displays information allowing the user of the MFD 20 tointeract with the scan server 40, such as screens 300-600 shown in FIGS.3-6. The display screen can be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasmadisplay device, or a cathode ray tube (CRT) display. The display screendoes not have to be integral with, or embedded in, the control panel937, but may simply be coupled to the control panel 937 by either a wireor a wireless connection. The control panel 937 may include keys forinputting information or requesting various operations. Alternatively,the control panel 937 and the display screen may be operated by akeyboard, a mouse, a remote control, touching the display screen, voicerecognition, or eye-movement tracking, or a combination thereof.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of the server 40 according to one embodimentof the present invention. FIG. 12 is a schematic representation of theserver 40. The server 40 includes a central processing unit 1000 (CPU)that communicates with a number of other devices by way of a system bus1500. The server 40 includes a random access memory (RAM) 1900 thathosts temporary storage values used in implementing the authenticating,routing and managing functions of scanned documents.

A conventional personal computer or computer workstation with sufficientmemory and processing capability may also be configured to operate asthe server 40. The central processing unit 1000 is configured for highvolume data transmission and performing a significant number ofmathematical calculations in processing communications and databasesearches. A Pentium III microprocessor such as the 1 GHz Pentium IIImanufactured by Intel Inc. may be used for the CPU 1000. This processoremploys a 32 bit architecture. Other suitable processors include theMotorola 500 MHZ PowerPC G4 processor and the Advanced Micro Devices 1GHz AMD Athlon processor. Multiple processors or workstations may beused as well.

The ROM 1800 is preferably included in a semiconductor form althoughother read-only memory forms including optical media may be used to hostapplication software and temporary results. The ROM 1800 connects to thesystem bus 1500 for use by the CPU 1000. The ROM 1800 includes computerreadable instructions that, when executed by the CPU 1000, can performthe different authenticating, routing and managing functions discussedabove associated with scanned documents from MFDs. An input controller1600 connects to the system bus 1500 and provides an interface withvarious peripheral equipment including a keyboard 1610 and a pointingdevice such as a mouse 1620. The input controller 1600 may includedifferent ports such as a mouse port in the form of a PS2 port or, forexample, a universal serial bus (USB) port. The keyboard port for theinput controller 1600 is in the form of a mini-DIN port although otherconnectors may be used as well. The input controller 1600 provides soundcard connections so that external jacks on the sound card allow users toattach microphone speakers or an external sound source. The inputcontroller 1600 also may include serial ports or parallel ports as well.

A disk controller 1400 is in the form of an IDE controller and connectsvia ribbon cables to a floppy disk drive 1410 as well as a hard diskdrive 1420, a CD-ROM drive 1180 and a compact disk 1190 (FIG. 12). Inaddition, a PCI expansion slot is provided on the disk controller 1400or mother board that hosts the CPU 1000. An enhanced graphic portexpansion slot is provided and provides 3-D graphics with fast access tothe main memory. The hard disk 1210 may also include a CD-ROM that maybe readable as well as writeable. A communication controller 1300provides a connection, for example by way of an Ethernet connection to anetwork 1310, which can be the network 100. In one embodiment, thenetwork 1310 and the connection to the communication controller 1300 aremade by way of a plurality of connections including a cable-modemconnection, DSL connection, dial-up modem connection, and the like thatconnect to the communication controller 1300.

An input/output controller 1200 also provides connections to externalcomponents such as an external hard disk 1210, printer 1220, which canbe MFD 10-30, for example, by way of an RS 232 port, a SCSI bus, anEthernet or other network connection which supports any desired networkprotocol such as, but not limited to TCP/IP, IPX, IPX/SPX, or NetBEUI.

A display controller 1100 interconnects the system bus 1500 to a displaydevice, such as a cathode ray tube (CRT) 1110. While a CRT is shown, avariety of other display devices may be used such as an LCD (liquidcrystal display), or plasma display device.

The mechanisms and processes set forth in the present description may beimplemented using a conventional general purpose microprocessor(s)programmed according to the teachings of the present specification, aswill be appreciated to those skilled in the relevant arts. Appropriatesoftware coding can readily be prepared by skilled programmers based onthe teachings of the present disclosure, as will also be apparent tothose skilled in the software art. In particular, the computer programproduct for authenticating, routing, and managing scanned documentsaccording to the present invention can be written in a number ofcomputer languages including but not limited to C, C⁺⁺, Fortran, andBasic, as would be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art. Theinvention may also be implemented by the preparation of applicationsspecific integrated circuits or by interconnecting an appropriatenetwork of conventional component circuits, as will be readily apparentto those skilled in the art.

The present invention thus also includes a computer-based product thatmay be hosted on a storage medium and include instructions that can beused to program a computer to perform a process in accordance with thepresent invention. This storage medium can include, but is not limitedto, any type of disk including floppy disks, optical disks, CD-ROM,magneto-optical disks, ROMs, RAMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, Flash Memory,Magnetic or Optical Cards, or any type of media suitable for storingelectronic instructions.

Additional Benefits of the Present Invention

Historically, business applications ran on mainframe computers and usersexecuted operations from terminal consoles by sending instructioncommands. The terminal consoles had no computing power other thandisplaying data stream sent back from the mainframe computer which ranthe actual applications. As LAN (Local Area Network) became available,the Client—Server architecture was introduced. The Client—Serverarchitecture utilizes the client computer's computing power to offloadthe mainframe from data processing, resulting in a more efficient use ofthe resources and better overall performance.

This Client—Server technology introduced a new problem however. Each andevery computer needs to have an application program installed.Installation. upgrades, and maintenance of the client require a lot oftime and human support, which increase operation cost. Furthermore, thisapproach lacks flexibility because different versions of applications onclients and servers should match.

Once introduced, the web browser was well accepted because it not onlysolves the problems of the Client—Server architecture but it also allowsthe user to maintain the benefit of distributed computing. Specifically,the web browser eliminates the need for client program maintenancebecause application programs and/or web pages are loaded dynamically atthe time the user accesses the web site. The user is guaranteed to havethe latest version of the application. As a result, PCs no longer needto have application programs installed manually and permanently on theirlocal hard disk. This is why a PC web browser is sometimes referred toas “thin client technology;” it is free from relatively bulkyapplication programs.

The MFD browser according to the present invention provides the benefitsof thin client technology to MFDs because it does not need manualprogram installation or program upgrade but still guarantees the latestand/or only appropriate software loaded from a web site. Once the MFDbrowser is incorporated in the MFD, a web server can identify thecapabilities of the MFD and dynamically download and run selectedprograms by a pre-defined criterion. This criterion can be used to rundifferent types of applications by department, e.g. a patent search anda print program for a legal department or a resume managementapplication for a human resources department. Advantageously, thepresent invention can be incorporated into the system and method formanaging documents disclosed in co-pending Ser. No. 09/795,438, theentire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

Obviously, numerous additional modifications and variations of thepresent invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It istherefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claimsthe present invention may be practiced otherwise than as specificallydescribed herein.

1. A method of obtaining network authentication of a user of an image processing device, comprising the steps of: transmitting user authentication information from the image processing device to a network domain controller remote from the image processing device; verifying the user authentication information at the network domain controller; receiving, at the image processing device, the result of the verification step performed at the network domain controller; and controlling at least on function of the image processing device based on the result of the verifying step.
 2. A system of obtaining network authentication of a user of an image processing device, comprising: a first network interface, at the image processing device, configured to transmit user authentication information from the image processing device to a network domain controller remote from the image processing device; a first module, at the network domain controller, configured to verify the received user authentication information; the first network interface, at the image processing device, configured to receive the result of the verification performed at the network domain controller; and a second module, at the image processing device, configured to control at least on function of the image processing device based on the result of the verification.
 3. A system of obtaining network authentication of a user of an image processing device, comprising: means for transmitting user authentication information from the image processing device to a network domain controller remote from the image processing device; means for verifying the user authentication information at the network domain controller; means for receiving, at the image processing device, the result of means for verifying performed at the network domain controller; and means for controlling at least on function of the image processing device based on the received result of the means for verifying.
 4. A method of obtaining network authentication of a user of an image processing device, comprising the steps of: transmitting user authentication information from the image processing device to a first computer remote from the image processing device; transmitting the user authentication information from the first computer to a second computer remote from the image processing device and the first computer; verifying the user authentication information at the second computer; receiving a result of the verifying step at the first computer; and controlling access of the information processing apparatus to one of a plurality of applications based on the result of the verification step, the plurality of applications connected to the first computer via a network.
 5. A computer program product comprising a computer storage medium storing a computer program code mechanism which when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform a method of obtaining network authentication of a user of an image processing device, comprising the steps of: transmitting user authentication information from the image processing device to a first computer remote from the image processing device; transmitting the user authentication information from the first computer to a second computer remote from the image processing device and the first computer; verifying the user authentication information at the second computer; receiving a result of the verifying step at the first computer; and controlling access of the information processing apparatus to one of a plurality of applications based on the result of the verification step, the plurality of applications connected to the first computer via a network.
 6. A system for obtaining network authentication of a user of an image processing device, comprising the steps of: means for transmitting user authentication information from the image processing device to a first computer remote from the image processing device; means for transmitting the user authentication information from the first computer to a second computer remote from the image processing device and the first computer; means for verifying the user authentication information at the second computer; means for receiving a result of the verifying step at the first computer; and means for controlling access of the information processing apparatus to one of a plurality of applications based on the result of the verification step, the plurality of applications connected to the first computer via a network.
 7. A system for obtaining network authentication of a user of an image processing device, comprising: a first network interface, at the image processing device configured to transmit user authentication information from the image processing device to a first computer remote from the image processing device; a second network interface configured to transmit the user authentication information from the first computer to a second computer remote from the image processing device and the first computer; a module, at the second computer, configured to verify the user authentication information at the second computer; the second network interface configured to receive a result of the verifying step at the first computer; and a module, at the first computer, configured to control access of the information processing apparatus to one of a plurality of applications based on the result of the verification step, the plurality of applications connected to the first computer via a network. 